1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a repeater amplifier apparatus including a master station device and one or more slave station device, and more particularly, to such an apparatus capable of rewriting an operation program of the slave station device from the master station device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the communication of wireless terminal equipment such as portable telephones, a repeater amplifier apparatus for radio communication repeater is used for performing radio or wireless communication with a base station device even when a slave station device in the form of a terminal device is in a tunnel, a building or the like.
The repeater amplifier apparatus includes a master station device which can communicate with the base station device, and a slave station device which is connected to the master station device and which is able to communicate with a slave station device, the slave station device being set up in a space between the roof and the ceiling of a building or in the interior of a tunnel, or like other places.
The master station device and the slave station device each have a control unit for self control thereof so that they can operate to provide the best communication suitable for the environmental condition under the control of an operation program executed by each control unit.
Incidentally, an example of a change of the slave station program is to replace one specification program with another or change operation parameters thereof as required. Specifically, in the normal operating state of the slave station, at customer""s request, one specification or operation mode of the system, in which the power supply to the amplifier is turned off when the output of the amplifier exceeds 30 dB due to an excessive input thereto, is changed to another specification or operation mode, in which when the output of the amplifier exceeds 30 dB, the amplifier output is first reduced stepwise at a quantity of 1 dB every 10 seconds, and if the amplifier output is still over 30 dB at the time when it has been reduced by 10 dB from the initial level, the power supply to the amplifier is then turned off.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has for its object to provide a repeater amplifier apparatus of the character as described above in which an operator is able to change an operation program of a slave station device without actually visiting to an installation site of the slave station device, thus enabling the operation program to be changed in an efficient manner.
Bearing the above object in mind, according to the present invention, there is provided a repeater amplifier apparatus comprising a repeater amplifier apparatus comprising: a master station device for communicating with a base station device; a slave station device connected to the master station device and adapted to communicate with a mobile station device; and slave station operation program changing means for changing an operation program of the slave station device from the master station device when the master and slave station devices are in normal operation.
With such a construction of the repeater amplifier apparatus, an operator can change the operation program of the slave station device even if the operator does not actually go to the site of installation at which the operation program of the slave station device is stored.
In one preferred form of the invention, the rely amplifier apparatus further comprises means for enabling the operation program of the slave station device to be changed without interrupting the control operation of the slave station device while changing the slave station operation program.
Thus, it is possible to readily change the operation program of the slave station device from the master station device while allowing the control operations of the master station device and the slave station device to continue.
In another preferred form of the invention, the slave station device comprises a master CPU for changing the slave station operation program, and the means for enabling the operation program of the slave station device without interrupting the control operation of the slave station device while changing the slave station operation program comprises a slave CPU for controlling the operation of the slave station device during the master CPU is changing the slave station operation program.
In a further preferred form of the invention, the master station device comprises: a first down repeater for receiving a signal from the base station device to amplify and send it to the slave station device; a first up repeater for receiving a signal from the slave station device and amplify and send it to the base station device; and a first control unit for controlling the master station device.
In a still further preferred form of the invention, the slave station device comprises: a second down repeater for receiving a signal from the master station device to amplify and send it to the mobile station device; a second up repeater for receiving a signal from the mobile station device and amplify and send it to the master station device; and a control unit for controlling the slave station device. The slave station operation program changing means changes the operation program of the slave station device through the first control unit of the master station device when the master and slave station devices are in normal operation.
In a further preferred form of the invention, operation program data is transmitted from the master station device to the second control unit of the slave station device in such a manner as to be superimposed on an RF signal indicative of transmission information. Thus, it is possible to avoid the intrinsic function of the repeater amplifier apparatus being interrupted or impaired in the process of changing the operation program and/or transmitting the operation program data.
In a further preferred form of the invention, the operation program of the slave station device control unit after having been changed can be restored to the previous or original state. Accordingly, even in the event there arises an error or trouble in writing a new operation program into the slave station device, it is possible to reinstate the slave station device to its original state, thus enabling it to be re-activated or restarted.
In a yet further preferred form of the invention, the master station device further comprises: a first antenna for radio communication with the base station device; a shared unit connected to the first antenna and having an input connected to the first up repeater and an output connected to the first down repeater; and a power supply for supplying electric power to the first up and down repeaters, the first control unit and the first shared unit.
In a further preferred form of the invention, the down repeater comprises: a down amplifier having an input connected to an output of the first shared unit; an electro-optical transducer having an input connected to an output of the first down amplifier and an output side of the first control unit; and an optical distributor having an input connected to an output of the electro-optical transducer and an output connected to the slave station device through an optical cable.
In a further preferred form of the invention, the up repeater comprises: an opto-electrical transducer connected to an output side of the slave station device; a synthesizer having an input connected to an output side of the opto-electrical transducer and an output connected to the first control unit; and an up amplifier having an input connected to the output of the synthesizer and an output connected to the input of the shared unit.
In a further preferred form of the invention, the slave station device further comprises: a second shared unit connected to an output side of the second down repeater; a second antenna provided on the shared unit for radio communication with the mobile station device; and a second power supply for supplying electric power to the second up and down repeaters, the second control unit and the second shared unit.
In a further preferred form of the invention, the second down repeater comprises: an opto-electrical transducer having an input connected to an output side of the master station device through an optical cable and an output connected to the second control unit; and a down amplifier having an input to an output of the opto-electrical transducer and an output connected to the second shared unit.
In a further preferred form of the invention, the second up repeater comprises: an up amplifier having an input connected to an output side of the shared unit and an output connected to the second control unit; and an electro-optical transducer having an input connected to the output of the up amplifier and an output connected to an input side of the master station device through an optical cable.
In a further preferred form of the invention, the first control unit of the master station device comprises: a first CPU; a ROM connected to the first CPU for storing a program for controlling the master station device; a RAM connected with the first CPU for temporarily storing data; an external interface connected to the first MPU and adapted to be connected with a computer for changing or rewriting the slave station operation program with a new operation program stored therein; and a first modem connected to the first CPU for communication with the slave station device and having an input connected to the first up repeater and an output connected to the first down repeater.
In a further preferred form of the invention, the second control unit of the slave station device comprises; a second CPU; a second readable and rewriteable ROM connected to the second CPU for storing the slave station operation program; a second RAM connected with the second CPU for temporarily storing data; and a second modem connected to the second CPU for communication with the first modem of the master station device and having an input connected to the second up repeater and an output connected to the second down repeater.
In a further preferred form of the invention, the ROM of the second control unit has an address configuration comprising: a vector area in which there are stored an initialization program for initializing the respective components of the slave station device and a rewrite-processing program for rewriting the slave station operation program; a first application area for storing the slave station operation program; and a second application area usable for temporarily storing the slave station operation program, which is moved thereto from the first application area prior to rewriting a new operation program thereinto.